Needs-based curricular content goals for two-year equine curricula

The horse industry is a significant contributor to the economy of any area in which it is found. Products and services oriented toward its recreational and competitive aspects are provided by workers in more than 71 categories of equine occupations. The equine industry is undergoing continuous technological change, and there is increasing competition for equine industry jobs; both affect its work force. Graduates of 46 two-year college equine programs are appearing on the job market yearly and many are finding equine industry jobs. However, there was no formal, organized communication about equine curricula among these institutions, and needs-based prioritized curricula did not exist. A current study of equine educators and employers was needed to advise equine curricular planners of the curricular content goals needed to align equine curriculum with equine industry job requirements.

The procedural problem of this study was to analyze occupational needs-based curricular objectives for two-year equine curricula. The equine industry occupations were determined and categorized according to the U.S. Department of Labor (1977). Two-year equine curricular content goals were identified from the literature and from existing college equine programs. These goals were made consistent in syntax utilizing Vogler's Performance Instruction System (1991). Course titles according to the U.S. Office of Education's (1981) classification system were used, and college level educational requirements were gleaned from accreditation standards of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1991). Equine industry employers were polled according to frequency of use and difficulty of execution of the skills in the work place while educators determined the level and type of expertise desirable in their graduates; these data were analyzed according to Vogler (1991). Prioritized lists of content goals by course were determined, as well as curricula for one- and two-year equine educational programs at the college level.